All - State Easton!

Congrats to this year's Hamilton Cross country teams as we made a strong showing at last weekend's Montana State Cross Country Championships. We're very young this year so placing high at the meet was not a priority, but finishing strong was. We wanted it to be a beginning, not an end. Our boys team returns all 7 runners and also a very strong group of JV kids. Look out next season!

Our top 4 girls are all sophomores and have a love for running. With the addition of some incoming freshmen next fall, we could really make a big jump.

Sara Amish, our top runner this season placed 17th at the state meet! She was only two places from making the podium. Way to go Sara!

Easton was able to accomplish his personal goal of making all state by placing 11th out of 136 runners! In fact, he was the second fastest freshman in the state that day...in any classification. Congratulations Son!

It was a special season and we're all really excited about the potential for excellence next season. With quality summer dedication, the future is very bright.

Go Broncs!

P.S. A special congrats go out to Chris Jessop and the Corvallis Blue Devils for their indivdual and team State championships...they were very deserving.

It was a P.R. day!!

Frenchtown. Wednesday. September 22. 3:00 pm. The Broncs came and the Broncs excelled!!

95% of our runners ran personal best times for their high school cross country career. The day was perfect. The course was ideal and the time of the season was suited for a day of personal records (P.R.). We had kids drop not just multiple seconds but multiple minutes!

Both boys and girls teams were outstanding. I was so proud of them all. Their hard work has really begun to pay off. Most of our kids are underclassmen, so the future is very bright for Hamilton Cross Country! Since most of you who read this blog are friends and family, you'll be happy to know that Easton set the all-time fastest freshman record at 16:39...beating the current record by 24 seconds! Not bad for a little bug like E:)

Congrats Broncs. Let's go cut some more time on Saturday!

Run fast.

Coach Albert

And they're off...

Tuesday, August 31st was the beginning of the 2010 cross country season. We competed at the Butte Central Invitation held on the golf course at Fairmont Hotsprings Resort. It was a pretty good day. Our top 5 boys were only seperated by 1:10. This is good for a team with no blazing fast runner. It shows our strength in TEAM. As we improve our times and even lower our seperation time...look out!

Both our girls and boys teams are young but enthusiastic with some real potential for excellence. We had 3 kids in the top 20. We are already hungry for tomorrow's meet in Ronan.

Remember runners to get a lot of sleep, water and good calories. The sky is the limit if we remember two things this season...show up everyday and work hard, and compete in every meet.

Go Broncs!!

Coach Albert

Vegas Champs Again!

The "Super 7!" What a great week in Las Vegas for the AAU West Coast Championships July 22-25. Big Sky Hoops once again won the event as they had done in 2008. The difference this year was no one came close to challenging these Montana girls. This was truly the finest team I have ever coached!

We beat 4 metropolitan teams by sharing the ball and puting on a defensive clinic. We kept people out of the lane, talked and helped. We were relentless rebounders, hustled and executed. I was so proud of our unselfishness on the offensive end. This team didn't care who got the glory...for a group of girls made up of kids from across the state and with only four practices under their belt, this was truly a TEAM in every sense of the word. I received more compliments from people, many complete strangers on how hard our team played and shared the ball. This was encouraged by me but embraced by the players. What a terrific group of young ladies...players and people!

I truly enjoyed my time with these girls during our three tournaments together. Great basketball, great people and some solid entertainment...basketball, Vegas shows and LeBron James:)

Good luck and God bless you girls during your senior year and into your college career...I'll be watching!!

Coach Albert

2nd At EOT!

Congratulations to Big Sky Hoops for placing 2nd at the prestigious End of the Oregon Trail Tournament in Portland last week. I was very proud of the intensity and teamwork showed by our team during their 6 games. We beat a team from the Minneapolis area in the semi-final that was a tremendous upset. It may be one of the best games I have been a part of. It has really been a blessing for me to coach this team. (As you can see the team was coached and managed by two handsome devils!)

We head to Vegas tomorrow for our last tournament. We won it in 2008 and hope to do the same this week:) Go Big Sky!

Coach Albert

Cross Country: Did you know?

7 reasons to come out for the Team...

1. Did you know cross country races are 3 miles long? Most races are run on scenic golf courses and historic parks. The best weather in Montana is consistently in the fall – coincidently the same time as cross country. Think about it.


2. Did you know that seniors who complete the cross country season automatically letter whether or not they’re on varsity? There is a place on our team for students of all shapes, sizes and abilities. Think about it.


3. Did you know the cross country season is only 2 months long? This short 2 months could help you control your weight, get in shape for other sports and teach you a great lifetime activity. Think about it.


4. Did you know cross country is fun? Doing something you never thought was possible is very rewarding. Being supported and encouraged by teammates and opponents alike is an event experienced by few high school athletes. Think about it.


5. Did you know if you’re not out for a fall sport like football, volleyball, cheerleading, or golf that there is a place for you on our cross country team? Take a challenge and do something to keep fit next school year. It’s important you participate in something next fall. Think about it.


6. Did you know the cross country team has gone from 17 kids Coach Albert’s first season to as many as 54 in 2007? Come out next fall and help us be the biggest and best team in the state. Let’s break 60. Think about it.


7. Did you know all who come out for cross country get to participate in every event? It’s not just a select few that get to compete. If we have 60 kids out, then 60 kids get to participate in each race. Think about it.


2010 Cross country season starts on August 16th

Happy running!

AZ Elite Spring Classic

We're back from Phoenix. Last weekend we played 4 games against some very good club teams from around the nation and by the end of it all it was clear to me we were a top team at the tournament. With a little better scheduling luck we could have won it all. We went 3-1 only losing to eventual champion AZ Elite (the home team) by 4 points. It was our first game and only game on Friday…at 9:00 pm no less!
We beat Oregon Elite, New Mexico Select and NBA Select (don't know where they are from) in our last three games. Our team plays terrific defense, we are scrappy and play well together. Our kids are very unselfish and appear to enjoy playing together. I was sure pleased with how far we came in just 3 practices and 4 games. By the end of July…look out!
The girls were very coachable and made my experience a pleasant one. I wish the games would have been longer so we could have gotten them all a little more playing time. It’s difficult for players who are used to playing every minute of every game, to accept a new role with a new team. I guess this was their first taste of college basketball where all teammates are good and suddenly they have to accept a role they may be unaccustomed to. I thought our team did this with class and understanding.

We head to the Portland area in July to compete in the largest girls basketball tournament in the U.S., the End of the Trail Tournament. We'll have to drive to this one but it should be a great experience with our 9 Montana kids. I know we will once again make Montana proud! Have a great spring ladies.

Coach Albert

Big Sky Hoops

This is a picture of our Big Sky Hoops team from 2008. This team traveled to Phoenix, Portland, Seattle and Las Vegas seeking the exposure necessary to earn a college scholarship. We had a great time and every player did receive at least one offer to play basketball at the next level. Two of these young ladies currently play in the Big Sky Conference and two or three others will join the league next year. Two of these girls play at schools not in the Big Sky and are having a blast playing the sport they love all the while earning a college degree at a reduced expense...this is the part most parents appreciate!

This week I will be meeting the 2010 version of Big Sky Hoops. We have 8 girls right now from both ends of the state...Miles City to Hamilton. I am very excited about coaching this group. Like the 2008 team, I am confident these players will represent Montana with class and competitiveness. We have practice at Manhattan High School this Saturday and Sunday and then fly to Phoenix next Thursday for the AZ Elite Girls Basketball Tournament. The basketball is great and the weather isn't too bad either:) This is the tournament where our girls will get their first look by coaches and hopefully calls will follow.

Coaching an elite group of players is a real treat for me. The best part is getting to know quality young ladies and their parents from around Montana. I know the transition to a new coach and a new set of teammates can be tough, but it can also be very rewarding. Friendships will be formed and memories will be made. Shots will be made and charges will be taken. We will play hard, play smart and play together. Isn't this a great game?!

See you soon ladies.

Coach Albert

09-10 Highlight Video

End of an era...

Dear girls,

Over the past four years, we have really seen the Hamilton Lady Broncs program excel and become one of excellence and tradition…the highlight being our appearance in last year’s state championship game. During this four year period, our teams won a combined fifty games and competed with class and character in every contest. I feel our teams have done a superb job in representing our school and the community of Hamilton. It has been an absolute privilege to be your coach.

Unfortunately, I will have to watch future Lady Broncs from the stands and not from the bench. I have decided to step down as head coach. I will have both a son and daughter in high school over the next five years and another daughter playing college basketball. I’m going to be pulled in too many directions and will be unable to devote the kind of time necessary to help next year's team be their best and support my four kids in their activities. In short, I need the freedom to be a better dad.

I have coached basketball at some level for the past 22 years…stepping away from a program and students I love is very difficult. Perhaps the most difficult part is the loss of potential relationships I could have with future players. I do want to stay involved somehow, but I simply need to concentrate on being a good parent, husband and teacher right now. This decision is a tough one for me and may be tough for some to understand, but I know it’s the right thing to do.

Coaching high school basketball is a tough job, tougher than most realize. It is my part time job that consumes me on a full time basis. That being said, being a coach is also one of the most rewarding positions one can hold. I was truly blessed by players, parents and fans these past four years and hope to one day return in some capacity to help the program continue its winning ways.

I look forward to supporting next year’s version of the Lady Broncs. I have no doubt they will carry on our core covenants of Sportsmanship, Tradition, Unity and Competitiveness. Go Broncs!

Sincerely,

Coach Albert


P.S. I want to especially thank Coach Faris for his unwavering support and wisdom over the past four years. I have never worked with a finer assistant or a better man. If he chooses to apply for the head coaching position, I know our players will be blessed and our program will be in excellent hands.